Vehicle tire



E. J. EMERY.

l VEHICLE TIRE. APPLICATION frLEu1uLYe.192x.

Patented Oct. 10, 1922,

2 SHEETS -SHEET 2.

'Patented @et lid, i922.

` entre@ stares entrenar onere-e'.

atras a. Emana', or LYNN, rrassaonusnrrs.

application mea July c, 192i. serial No.. esatta.

To all whom t may concern.

Be it known that l, ELIAS J. EMERY, citizen of the United States of America, and resident of Lynn, in the county of Essex/ and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Vehicle Tires, of which the following is a specification.

rlhis invention relates' to resilient tires for vehicles and-especially relates to the shoe, tread, or contact member of such a tire.

principal object of the invention is to increase the effective area of the road surface contacting with the tread or shoe of the tire (and thereby to decrease the pressure borne per unit area ofthe surface of contact between the tire shoe and the roadway) for a given loadoarried by the wheel equipped with the tire. Otherobjects are to provide for resiliently applied frictional hold upon the roadway by. the shoe or tread member of the tire in an improved way; to provide a contacting surface for these purposes reacting to support the load at independent points distributed through the area of contact between the shoe and the roadway; to utilizeto an increased extent the inherentresilience ofthe rubber or other material of which the tread or shoe member of the tire is composed, and to provide` an improved anti-skid and drivin traction surface for tires characterized y separated Contactin members independently cooperating wit the roadway and independently and resiliently movable in respect to the rim, carcass, inner tube' or other supporting member-or tire body with which-the improved shoe or tread is employed.

A further object of the invention is to utilize the tensile resilience of the y,rubber substance of the tread -or shoe member of the tire in a new and'superior way adapting the said rubber substance to interpose a larger factor of resilient support for the wheel equipped by the tire than has heretofore been secured. f

rFhe inventionfisindependent of the particular type of tire with which it is employed, comprising a genus of devices interposed between the rim-of the wheel and the surface upon which the tire rolls, which genus will hereinafter be explained' with reference to particular species illustrative of the genusand shown 1n the accompanyindrawings, in which,- igure 1 is an elevation partly in vertical central section on the line 1-1 of Fig. 2 of a wheel equipped with a tire of the olld or elastic-substance-under-compression YPBS o Fig. 2 is' a radial section on the line^22 of Flg. 1;` u

Fig. 3 is a, view similar to Fig. 2, showing rmoldilied construction lof ythe species of Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 1, illus- 'trating the' position of the parts when in loaded rolling contact;

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of asegment of a wheel equipped with a pneumatic tire according to this invention;

Fig. 6 is a section on line 6-6 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a section ori the line 7--7 of Fig. 6; and

Fig. 8 is a detail perspective partly in v:radial section of a modified type of the tire @The construction illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 4 comprises a tread 1 having thereon clincher ribs 3 or other fastening means adapted to be held on the felly't of the wheel, as by clamps 5, theextent of the tread or shoel being interrupted so frequently as magyr be desired by the separated bodies 2.

These bodies 2 are integral with and not wholly separated from the substance of the tread 1, butare preferably surrounded by and free to move' radially in shallow depressions of uniform depth as illustrated at 10,'` the substance of the plugs or bodles 2 projecting from the depressions 10 substantially beyond the general line 12 of the tread surface, and merging with the substance of the s hoe at integral junctions or bridges 16 surrounding the bodies 2.

On lthe inner face of thenannulus of wh1c h the tread 1 consists, the bodies2 are similarly partl -detached from the substance of the trea or periphery 1 by surrounding depressions 12, but the lnner surface' M of the bodies 2 stands radially outward from `the general inner line 15 conatltutmg the tenias seating surface for the tread 1. The plugs or bodies 2 are therefore suspended in projected relation on integral portions 16 of the resilient substance of the shoe 1 intervening between the bottoms of the depres- -sions 10 and 13, which preferably are in line with each other. Upon pressure downward on the center of the wheel, the bodies 2 yield by stretching` against the resilient stretching or tensile resistance of the integral bridges 16 and the adjacent portions of shoe and'bodies 2, until said bodies come in contact with the surface of the felly 4, whereupon the substance of these bodies is compressed against their resilience of com'- pression.

The stress under which the integral bridges 16 will yield is less than the stress required substantially to deform by compression the substance of the shoe 1, or the bodies 2. Because of this, the surfaces of the tire and roadway in rolling contact have outer areas characterized by bodies 2 in light contact therewith, but supporting a part of the load, and taking a tenacious hold of the roadway; and by inner areas having vother surfaces in heavier contact with the roadway, in which areas the compressive resilience of shoe l and of the bodies 2 is available to support the load. At this area, the bodies 2 are'swollen by compression to fill their depressions, as well as collilpsed inwardly to lill the spaces 18 behind t em.

This disposition of the bodies 2, when the tread or shoe constituting 4,the tire is in place on the felly 4, provides between each body 2 and the bearing surface of the felly an air-chamber in the spaces 18 subject in use to sudden compression as each body 2 rolls under the wheel, ,each chamber 18 after compression being restored to its uncollapsed form by the resilience of the contained air vand the tension of the bridges or junctures 16. An air-tight fit between the tread 1 and felly 4 all around. the wheel, which would be difficult to maintain, is not necessary or even desirable, since the pressure .on the bottom segmentof the wheel mashes the substance of the tre-ad 1 between the bodies 2 and depressions 18 into a good seallng contact sufiicientto retain the air in a state of compression during rolling motion of the wheel for the short'times of the successive contacts of each body 2 with the road. During the subsequent return of the body to its normally projected position, air drlven out by this positive compression, 1f any, 1s restored by leakage during the longer period of time when each body 2 1s traveling around the upper segments of the wheel, during which time chamber l18 is restored to original dimensions and the bodies 2 are ful y projected by the tensile resilience of the bridges 16. y

Fig. 3 illustrates a variation from. the

form of Figs. 1, 2 and 4, characterized by tro-conical or conical portion, for examples as shown at 21, adapted to bring an increased area of the body to rest against its seat as it is forced further inward. .The seat for the plug or body may be the felly 4, or an interposed annulus 22 forming a part of the tire proper. When the annulus 22 is employed, it may be sealed or vulcanized to the tread or shoe 1, and' in that case the closed air-chambers 23 in which the bodies 20 work are sealed.

. As shown in Figs. 5, 6 and 7, the principle of construction and operation inherent in the devices mentioned above need not be departed from when it is desired to employ a pneumatically extended shoe or casing tread 30 as the outer member of the tire. Such a shoe or casing may comprise a rubber and cord or fabric carcass 31 of any kind, extended by an inner pressure-tube 32, as usual, the 'carcass 31 having vulcanized thereon a molded tread 33 having movable bodies 25 substantially as abovedescribed, in integral attachment therewith. Owing to the curved section of the tread 33, the annular interior depressions 34 and exterior depressions 35 marking off the bodies 25 are preferably molded to, occupy in use positions coaxial with radii of the wheel, but the integral bridges 36 are annular regions of the substance of tread 33 respectively lyingparallel to tangent planes ofthe toroid surface of the tread 33. The inner ends of the plugs 25 are pointed about on their axial lines, bein conical, round or pyramidal in respect to ases respectively coincident with the integral bridges 36. l made by moldino' the bodies 25 and tread 33 in one piece, the depressions 34, 35, being formed in the mold by opposite projections of different faces of the mold, and then causing adhesion between the tread 33 and carcass 31,' for instance by intervening plas- Such a shoe isl tic rubber or rubber cement; and by 'then l l curin or vulcanizing the parts in their assemb ed condition. I do not herein lclaim so much of my invention as relates to the method of making the tire.

Fig. 8 illustrates a form of the device in which the integralnyielding projections 26 are annuli, being solids of revolution such as would be generated by rotating theplugs 25 of Fig. 6 about the center of rotation of the I wheel and tire, these annuli 26 being connected by annular integral resilient bridges 27 with the body of the tread 39, 'of which they form an integral part. The internal spaces 40 within the yielding pro-l jections 26 are continuous about the tire.

In each of the above instances the yielding integral bodies are suspended in and project from depressions of the tread surface as a consequencel of their integral attachment to the remainder of the tread -by a bridge adapted to stretch under tensile stress when pressure is applied to the yielding body. These bodies' can themselves yield by The tentheir resilience of compression. sile elastic stretch of rubber is well known to far exceed its comparative compressive resilience. It will be observed that this invention enables the tensile elasticity of the substance of the tire to be utilized to maintain a greater area of the tire than is directly subject to compression in. useful contact with the roadway. More of the surface of the roadway isin contact with tires-made according to this invention than can be the case at the same load and the-same degree of compression with ordinary tires; and the points of lighter contact are distributed in an area beyond the boundaries of the area of compressive contact directly under the axle and in the central plane. of the wheel. rlhis tire is for this reason able to grip the roadway against lateral or peripheral slippage under light as well as heavy loads, and to a degree not dependent upon the solid compressive, .or pneumatic pressure resilience, or degree of deformation of the tire body, and therefore, independently of the inner tube pressures or the extent of load.

I claim:

1. A vehicle tire comprising a tread having therein inner and outer depressionspartially detaching therefrom bodies of the integral substance of the tread;- said bodies being held to project outwardly from the surface of the tread by the tensile elasticity of a-portion of the substance of the tread joining said bodies and tread.

2. A vehicle tire comprising a tread of elastic and compressible substance having therein and artially detached `therefrom bodies of the integral substance of the tread extending through the thickness ofA said tread, said bodies being vnormally held to project outwardly from the surface of the tread by the tensile elasticity of the substance of the tread and being subject to collapse into line with the tread and to compression by the load in use. j

3. A vehicle tire comprising a tread having therein depressions su-rrounding and isolating therefrom at and within inner and outer surfaces of the tread bodies of the integral substance ofethe tread, these bodies being normally 4held to project outwardly f the vehicle by,compression between the fellyo of a wheel and the roadway, the tread portion having therein a plurality of normally projecting bodies of the integral substance of the tread bridging depressions in the tread and adapted to engage the roadway at points.,

outside of the area of compression between the body of the tire and the roadway, and means for suspending said bodies resiliently adapting themto be compressed to fill and close the depressions they occupy when-passing through said area of compression.

5; A vehicle tire having a support and tread portion havin suspended therein a plurality of normal y projecting integral bodies having interior portions adapted under pressure at an area of compression to engage the support and to increase their compressivev resilience against said support according to the degree of compression, to which theyI are subjected, and means for suspending said bodies resiliently adapting them to becompressed when passing through said area of compression.

6. A neumatic tire for vehicles having a shoe a aptedlto be distended by internal pneumaticpressure, the shoev comprisingl a tread of a substance having both tensile and compressive resilience, and provided with depressions defining integral bodies sus pended in and projecting from the depressions by the e'ect of resilient inte al bridges of the said substance adapted to yield i by tensile stretching to permit said bodies to enter said depressions.

7. A vehicle tire having a tread portion and a pneumatic tubular support therefor adapted to support thevehicle by compres# sion between the felly of a wheel and the roadway, the tread ortion having therein a plurality of norma ly projecting bodies of the integral substance of the tread bridging depressions in the tread and adapted to engage the roadway at points' outside ofthe area of compressionbetween the pneumatic tube and the roadway, and meansy for suspending said bodies resiliently adapting them to be compressed to fill and close the depressions they occupy when passingthrough said area of coinl ression.

, 8. A pneumatic tire or vehicles havin a shoe adapted to be distended by interna pneumatic pressure, the shoe comprising a tubular carcass and a tread of a substance having both tensile and compressive resilience, and provided with depressions definof the shoe, said tread having suspended therein a. plurality :of normally projecting integra-l bodies, and means for suspending said bodies resiliently adapting them to be compressed into said air spaces when pass ing under the Wheel.

Signed by me at Boston, Massachusetts, this 5th day of July 1921.

nuits J. EMERY. 

